Google's Early Access Of 'Gemini For Home' Is Rolling Out: Here Are 5 Fun Commands To Try

Things change fast in the world of AI — it wasn't that long ago that Google's Bard AI was renamed Gemini, and now a new version specifically tailored towards home use has been unveiled. Google is launching early access for its latest Gemini For Home voice assistant in the U.S., with the new version set to be available in other countries in 2026. As part of the early access rollout, users can send Google feedback about the assistant's features and capabilities by saying, "Hey Google, send feedback," or using the Google Home app.

The new assistant boasts an expanded suite of capabilities that make it even more useful than before, as well as new features designed to keep you entertained no matter whether you like music, audiobooks, sports, travel, or any number of other hobbies. Users will no doubt be busy exploring Gemini For Home's full capabilities over the coming months, but for now, here are five fun new things you can do with the latest version of the assistant.

If you're a big sports fan and follow multiple different sports, it can be tricky to keep tabs on how each of your favorite teams is doing. Gemini For Home promises to make staying updated on sports results as easy as possible, since you can use commands like, "Hey Google, how did Miami Dolphins do in the last game?" You can also ask Gemini about the results of a series, and ask about your favorite team's next game. If you need a reminder to watch it, you can ask Google to add the game to your calendar.

If you're looking to impress your friends with your sports knowledge, you can also get Gemini about historical competitors and results. For example, you could ask, "Hey Google, who are the top five most successful drivers in Nascar history?" If you're looking to compare sports streaming services to see which one is the best value for money, you could potentially ask Gemini — or, you could check out our comparison of the best live sports streaming services, which also gives you a breakdown of how much each service costs.

Keen fiction fans will want to make sure they take advantage of the best free audiobook streaming apps, but anyone who wants their own custom-made story could also ask Gemini to make one up. Saying something like, "Hey Google, tell me a story about a wizard and his dog," will get you started, but you can also ask Gemini to alter the storyline as you go along. If you're itching for a specific plot twist, you could ask, "Hey Google, make the wizard bump into an old friend from many years ago."

As well as creating your own custom stories, Gemini can also read you selections from a list of classics. If you don't have anything particular in mind and simply want to listen to something new, you could say, "Hey Google, tell me a story." Gemini can also serve up riddles if you're looking for more of a brain teaser, and it can also tell you jokes if you're in need of a laugh. You can customize the topic of the jokes too, saying something like, "Hey Google, tell me a joke about a man who walked into a bar."

Social media can be a great source of travel inspiration, but frequent travellers will know that friends, acquaintances, and influencers can recommend such a dizzying array of destinations that actually choosing an option can feel overwhelming. To slim down your shortlist, you could ask Gemini to give you a list of the best beaches in a particular country, or to come up with a list of must-do attractions while you're there.

If you're lucky enough to not be constantly bombarded with travel ideas via your Instagram feed, you could also ask Gemini for inspiration about new destinations. For example, you could say, "Hey Google, give me some ideas for a city break in summer that has lots of iconic buildings to visit." You could also ask Gemini to tailor your recommendations to hidden gem destinations, so that your next Instagram post makes you the trendsetting traveller that other people get their inspiration from. While you're packing, don't forget to pack the right tech accessories to make your trip as stress-free as possible.

Hearing mysterious bumps or bangs in the night can be worrying, but a good Wi-Fi connected security camera system can give you the added peace of mind that any unwelcome visitors will be documented in high definition. In most cases, those bumps and bangs aren't caused by intruders at all — at least, not ones of the human kind. It might simply be that your house is a magnet for all kinds of local wildlife, with some critters being particularly noisy while they're passing by.

Gemini can help you confirm exactly what was making those noises by analyzing footage that's been captured by your camera, assuming you have a compatible camera system. You could ask Gemini something like, "Hey Google, did my yard camera detect an animal last night?" Alternatively, you could use a command such as, "Hey Google, did something move in my backyard at 3 a.m. last night?" That way, you can be sure of the cause of any nocturnal disturbances.

Virtually every music fan will have been in the situation where they're loading up their music streaming service of choice and suddenly have a song pop into their head that they can't quite remember the name of. Maybe you can remember a few of the lyrics, or perhaps even just the general theme of the song, but you've got no clue over the song name or artist name. Gemini might be able to help: you can now give it a hint and it will attempt to work out the song you're thinking of. For example, you could ask, "Hey Google, play the song from the movie where Jack and Rose are caught on a sinking ship."

Gemini can also help broaden your music tastes if you hear something you like on a freshly discovered playlist. You can ask, "Hey Google, which artist plays this song?" or ask for song recommendations that are similar to the one that's playing. If you're interested in the meaning behind a particular song, you could also ask Gemini to give you a detailed breakdown of what the lyrics are about.

If you're more into podcasts than music, then you won't be left out either. Gemini can also recommend new podcasts based on a particular topic, or find a new episode that features a celebrity you're interested in. More basic commands, such as playing the latest podcast from a particular creator, remain unchanged from previous versions of the assistant.